Looking Out The Back Door
A very random idea based off the Nickelback song 'Photograph' (I think it will be). I have no idea where this story is going or what will happen to it, so bear with me. TATN / Thalia! 02:38, March 13, 2010 (UTC) P.S You guys, just in case your wondering, Leigh is pronounced Lee. Chapter One "Alec!" Chris whispered hurriedly to his friend. "Alec!" Alec lifted his head off the desk and murmured back to his friend, a little louder than he intended, "What?" Chris gulped and coughed once. Mrs MacLennan stood over the boys, looming there and glaring down at them. She had the sourest look on her face that any one could imagine. The boys cowered slightly, smiling weakly. "No talking in class, both of you!" The teacher scolded, irritation and anger burning in her voice. "And Alec, don't you dare lounge while I teach you important things. Listen and pay attention! This will help you on the test!" The ADHD part of his brain caught him again. "What test?" That was it. Mrs MacLennan flipped out, screaming at the boys about being well behaved and paying attention to her announcements in class. She ranted on about how it would be beneficial for them, especially in the higher grades. Alec just spaced out thinking again. He didn't really think, more pondered. He pondered about his father, like he did every day. Alec had no idea who his father was. His mother often told him stories of him that seemed like fairy tales. She had talked of his hair, so raven and dark, and his smile. Alec never thought much of it. He always blamed his father. He blamed him for many things. For their lack of money, for himself, for his ADHD and dyslexia. Alec didn't know who he got his looks from. The teacher went to the front and got on with her lesson on literature. The two teen boys despised writing, both not being able to string to sentences together with any form of flow. They both snickered when their teacher misspelled her own name. They, along with the rest of the class, were relieved when the bell finally rung. Chris pulled Alec out of the class. Alec sat with Chris at lunch, eating in the hallway as usual. They traded bits of their lunches and ate up, muttering complaints between bites. "Mrs MacLennan can go die." Alec took another bite of his tuna salad sandwich. "I know how you feel," Chris sympathized, poking at the soup in his Thermos. "She gave me a detention last week, when you weren't here, for doing my homework in class." "Man she's a b*tch." "And I was already done my class work, it was handed in!" As the boys spoke, the English classroom door opened. The boys watched their English teacher go off for lunch, shooting a glare at them. They got on talking and continued discussing things. The school day passed tediously for both of them. The two boys walked home together, complaining about their homework load. "I have at least a few hours worth in math." Chris let out his breath heavily. Alec nodded, understanding. "At least b*tch-queen didn't give you a day's worth in literature. I can hardly even read!" Alec spat, itching his head. After a few blocks, Alec tripped over his untied shoelace. He leaned down to tie it up, calling at Chris to wait. As he tied, he swore he heard a rustling in the nearby bush. (A/N:: They're around Central Park, probably taking a shortcut through it.) He looked up and looked around. "Hey do you hear that, Chris?" "Hear what?" "There's something rustling in the bushes. Wanna check it out with me?" "Nah, go ahead without me." Alec shrugged and just as he stood up, was pushed down forcefully by something. There was an awful hiss as he landed, the hiss of something that was far from human. He screamed as the thing hissed at him in a language he couldn't recognize. Chris noticed and ran to his friend's aid. Just as the thing, the monster was about to get Alec in a choke hold of some sort, it turned into a dark dust and was swept away by the wind. Looking up from the near peril, Alec saw his friend. Chris stood there, a bronze sword in hand, looking completely mystified. "We need to get you home." Chris told his friend very seriously. Chapter Two Alec stumbled and fell many times as his friend grabbed him by the elbow and ushered him along. He stuttered complaints but Chris never replied. "Where are we going again?" Alec demanded, tripping over his untied shoelace. "We're almost there, just a little longer." Chris kept running. Both the boys were sweating under the early summer sun. The dark haired teen boy was almost losing hope of ever seeing his mother again when they turned abruptly down his street. He slipped and fell, flat on his face. "Get up, get up." Chris urged picking his friend up off the pavement. He continued running, pulling Alec along with him. Alec stumbled to his feet and ran with his friend, checking for any blood on his face. They finally got to his house. And odd surprise, but then again he had been told. "This... Is where.... I... was... trying to ta-.... take you..." Chris was breathing hard, stuttering from his need for catching his breath. "You told me." Alec was also panting. The two went inside the house where they found Alec's mother Ophelia, and his younger sister lounging and watching a movie. Alec recognized the movie as Chicago. (A/N:: Good movie, I suggest watching it.) "Hi Alec!" Ophelia hugged him tightly, after getting up and pausing the movie. "Oh dear, what happened to your face?" "Tripped." Alec replied truthfully. "Mrs Marksman?" Chris started, still breathing heavily. "It's time he knew." "Knew about what?" Alec asked in unison with his younger sister, Leigh. "The both of you come on." Leigh got up from lounging on the couch and followed her brother. They sat down in the kitchen. "Alec, Leigh," Ophelia drew a deep breath. "You both know how you have dyslexia and ADHD, right?" The siblings nodded. Chris looked uncomfortable. This was always a conversation he'd never wanted to have. "Well, I need to-" There was a pounding at the door. Ophelia tensed as did Chris. They exchanged a worried glance and stood. Alec dared steal a glance at Leigh's reaction to this. She looked tense, biting down on her lip and twirling her dark blonde hair. Ophelia opened the door and nearly fainted at the sight. "Go, please they don't know yet." The woman pleaded. "Hmph." The person snorted. Alec could hear him from upstairs. "They're related to me, lemme see 'em." "No, sir. Please, see them and contact them at camp. Please. They don't know yet." The door slammed shut and Ophelia came upstairs, obviously upset. "Get in the car now." She demanded in a way that wasn't normal. The children obeyed and grabbed their jackets, hurrying to the car. They were waiting for their mother patiently. "Alec?" Leigh asked. "Where do you think mum is taking us?" "I dunno." Alec answered truthfully. As the kids sat waiting, they zoned out. Alec closed his eyes and tried to think. His thoughts were interrupted by his window being smashed in. Chapter Three Already there was a bloody mark on Alec's face from the shrapnel. He turned his face away from the window, hoping, praying to not get hurt again. Leigh saw the hideous creature before her brother caught a glimpse. It was tall, whatever it was, with bulging muscles and wide eyes. It's arms were covered in tattoos, all different sorts of them. "Leigh get out!" Alec screamed, just at the right moment. The giant punched in her window as well, causing more glass to be spread everywhere. Chris was suddenly at the driver's side door, opening it. "Alec, use this." There was a bronze sword lying on the seat. "It'll kill it, if you can get it." Alec nodded, seriously afraid for his life. The monster was shaking the car and trying to get in. He picked up the sword in his shaky hands, feeling the leather-wrapped grip in his palm and on his fingertips. The monster reached it's hand inside the broken window. Instinctively, Alec swung the weapon so it hit the arm. A cry erupted from the monster, a horrible deafening noise. Some form of oddly coloured liquid flowed from the fresh wound. The giant stepped back, giving Alec a perfect shot in the chest. He took his opportunity and plunged the sword into the monster's belly. It evaporated into a coloured dust, moving away from itself in the breeze. It was then that Alec realized he was shaking. He shook his head and turned to Chris. "Mrs M!" Chris called. "Got bus fare?" -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ The four tried to look like a normal family on their way to Long Island as they rode the bus. It was uncomfortably hot in the back and Chris wouldn't stop whispering. He kept whispering to himself about something. Alec had punched him in the leg and ribs many times but he hadn't quieted down. Once on Long Island, Ophelia led the way. There was a sudden growling behind them. Chris turned and looked. His grey eyes went wide. He drew his sword again. Another battle, the third one. This time instead of being with a Fury or Laistrygonian giant, it was to be with a hellhound. Alec realized his friend had slowed and stopped, turning to see what the matter was. He saw the large black dog, baring it's teeth and letting a chesty growl ring out. "Leigh, mum, hold up a sec." Alec murmured, dazed by the wicked beauty of the creature. "Don't make any sudden moves," Chris warned. "It'll charge if you do." They all took in the monster and froze on the spot. They exchanged nervous glances. Finally, the thing started to walk around, calming and sniffing them. As the monster passed Chris, he swung his sword and killed the monster. They breathed a sigh of relief and moved again. "Well, it seems you did me a deed." They heard a female voice call from ahead of them. "Oh gods," Chris murmured. "Not Ash..." "Who?" Alec asked, cocking his head. "My niece." "You got that right, Chris." The girl stepped out of the shadows. She had light blue-grey eyes that sparkled with amusement. Her hair was a rare colour, a light whitish brown colour. "Ashlinn!" Chris moaned. "I can't help that you killed the monster I was fighting, Chris. It's not my fault." "Chris?" Alec interrupted. "If she's your niece, how come you never told me you had a sibling?" Ashlinn lifted her chin, making herself seem haughty. "My dad is his dad's son. Technically that means I'm his granddaughter though." "I'll explain once we get to camp, okay Alec?" The teen boy nodded and pulled his sister along. They quickly said goodbye to Ophelia, who walked back towards civilization. She knew she may never see her children again. Chapter Four. As the young mother walked the streets of New York, often calling a taxi to help her get home, she wondered about her children. She knew enough about demigods, by research, to know that their lives were usually ended by a monster. Ophelia also knew that the monsters were horrible, cadaverous and macabre creatures that only the worst nightmares could conjure up. The thought made her shiver. Just as she reached her home, the mortal mother spotted a young man around her age. He was good looking and wore jeans, a dark concert T-shirt underneath a black leather jacket. He looked... familiar. "Hey, Ophelia!" The man called. "How's my kid?" "P-please... Leave me alone..." Ophelia murmured, feeling overly insecure. "Sorry about my dad there earlier. He's a bit protective of anything related to him." "I can tell." "How is Alec?" "At camp, like I promised I would. Now leave. I never want to see you or your brother again." The god leaned forward and whispered something in Ophelia's ear. She flinched but ignored what he said. Carefully, she went inside and went about her business. The neighbours don't remember hearing anything except a loud and muffled thud! -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ After the grand tour of camp, Alec and Leigh were shoved into the Hermes cabin along with tonnes of other kids. It was cosy, at first. Chris, just before dinner, had asked to see Alec alone, for a talk. The boys leaned against the back of a light blue cabin. "So, if we're all children of the gods, who's your parent?" Alec asked, tying his fiddling with his jacket's drawstring. "My dad is Hypnos, god of sleep." Chris replied, itching his nose. "So can you make things go to sleep?" Chris shot his friend a look but replied. "Yeah, I guess." "And Ashlinn? Who's her parent?" "My half brother, Morpheus." "Lovely... Can you tell who my parent is?" "Sorry, bro. Can't. But if it's Hypnos, I can actually call you bro." "I doubt it... I've only been able to scare people my whole life. And then only with my glares and whatnot. Nothing else." "I have no idea who your dad could be... I mean, sure Ares is an option, but you're not that violent." "Criminal record says I broke in twice." Alec shrugged, chuckling lightly to himself. "You've only been recorded twice, dummy. I've been with you the half-dozen times you've broken in." The boys shared a laugh and continued talking until it was lights out. The next few days were lovely and surprising all in one. As Alec sent letters home to his mother, his worries grew. He never got a reply back. A month later and still no replies. Finally, he sneaked out of camp and used the nearest payphone (which was two miles away) to call home. One ring.... Two rings.... Three rings.... Four rings... "Hello?" Ophelia's voice answered, shaking. "Mum!?" Alec exclaimed, loving the sound of his mother's voice. "Where have you been?" "I need to go." The call was ended. Alec stood there, looking like an idiot with a phone pressed to his ear. He put the phone back. Where are you? He wondered, starting back to camp. Category:Action Category:Original Character Category:Demigods Category:Drama Category:Family